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Customs chief ‘at the heart’ of shabu shipment mess

BY PRINCE GOLEZ

MANILA – Customs commission Nicanor Faeldon was “at the heart of the controversy” involving the shipment of P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China, according to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
The Bureau of Customs was currently facing congressional inquiries over the shipment.
Trillanes said he has “enough information” about Faeldon’s involvement in the shabu shipment.
“He is at the heart of this controversy,” he said. “And once he is done malingering, I hope he musters enough courage to face the grilling of senators and congressmen.”
Faeldon skipped inquiries at the House of Representatives and the Senate on Monday and Wednesday last week, respectively.
He wrote Sen. Richard Gordon, blue ribbon committee chairman, saying his health condition prevented him from showing up at the Aug. 9 inquiry.
Faeldon said he was diagnosed to be suffering from “Non ST Elevation Myocardial Infraction Acute Coronary Syndrome: Hypertension Urgency Hypertension Stage II.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV called on the Customs to step up efforts to uncover Chinese syndicates behind the drug trade in the Philippines.
“Ginagamit ang kahinaan ng ating sistema sa Customs para makapagpasok ng droga sa bansa,” he said. “Marami pa ang kailangan halungkatin.”
Aquino believes “negligence” and “corruption” at the bureau allowed for the drug shipment.
“May mga kasabwat ba and therefore nakapasok ang droga? O mayroong hindi gumagawa ng trabaho nila kaya nakapasok ang droga?” he asked at the Senate inquiry.
“This seems like it’s something in the middle, which is negligence with corruption,” he added. “Binabayaran ka na huwag kang titingin, huwag na alamin, basta huwag mong gagawin ang trabaho, kaya nakapasok ang droga.”/PN